SUSSEX COUNTY — A shuttle bus service that runs a 21-mile route from Vernon to Hardyston for Manhattan-bound commuters has attracted very few riders thus far, but a host of changes are being considered in an effort to boost ridership, according to a nonprofit commuter group that runs the service.

So far, only about 40 people have paid the $1 to ride on the Vernon Area Shuttle since it began Nov. 1, said Don Watt, vice president of TransOptions, a Cedar Knolls group whose mission is to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in northern New Jersey.

"This was designed to be a pilot program, but it is not successful at this point," he said. "We’re trying to get input from everywhere we can."

The Vernon Area Shuttle offers two routes on 15-seat vans operated by State Shuttle Inc. of Jefferson.

One route, designed for commuters heading to New York City, runs twice during the early-morning rush hours from the Vernon A&P supermarket on Route 515 to the park and ride at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church on Route 23 in the Stockholm section of Hardyston, where commuters can get NJ Transit bus No. 194 to Manhattan. Two runs from the church are also offered during the evening rush hour for the ride home.

The second route, designed for local traffic, has runs twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon when the bus isn’t being used for the New York City commuter route.

One of the proposed changes to the fledgling service is to alter the New York City commuter route and add another bus — at an additional cost — to reduce the amount of time riders would need to reach their destination, said Watt.

Other changes include marketing the shuttle service in New York City media outlets, rather than locally, and adding a plastic advertising wrap on the buses to let motorists know of its existence.

The proposed changes need approval from the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, NJ Transit and the Federal Transit Authority. The shuttle service is funded by a three-year, $371,000 federal grant.

"We weren’t reaching the desired audience with the local advertising," said Watt, noting the grant doesn’t permit extensive paid marketing. "We’re thinking about turning the buses into rolling billboards."

Dave Behrend, a spokesman for the NJTPA, said his agency is expected to decide sometime next month on the proposed adjustments as the near-empty buses continue to run. There are no plans to end the service anytime soon, he said.

"In the end, we support the concept of the shuttle and we want it to succeed," he said. "Sometimes, things just need to be ironed out."